20 College Basketball Talents NBA Scouts Will Be Salivating Over in 2014

Like it or not, many of college basketball’s biggest stars are only on campus as a stopover on the way to their NBA careers. Only one team can cut down the nets in April, but the June draft will produce a lot more success stories for players whose teams couldn’t quite rise to national-champion status.

One big-time prospect likely to find himself in that position next season is Baylor’s Isaiah Austin. Although his Bears aren’t looking like much more than a run-of-the-mill team in the Big 12, the mobile 7’1” center could easily play his way into a lottery pick by showing just a bit more consistency to go with his awe-inspiring potential.

Herein, a closer look at Austin and 19 more college stars whose NBA futures are shining the brightest heading into 2013-14.

Note that because this list is focusing on the players’ appeal to the pros, some of the biggest names in next year’s college ranks (see Smith, Russ) are absent due to lack of size, lack of athleticism or the other flaws that often keep the NCAA’s most successful players from making the jump to the next level.

20. Gary Harris, Michigan State

The biggest hurdle for many top college scorers trying to make it in the pros is being able to defend elite NBA wing players.

Gary Harris, though he doesn’t have A+ height at 6’4”, is such a tough and instinctive defender that he won’t be held back by his game on that end of the floor.

What Harris needs to prove as a sophomore is that he can take over games with his own scoring on a more consistent basis.

If he can build on the flashes of brilliance he showed last season—witness his 23 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the NCAA tournament against Memphis—the NBA will be beating a path to his door.

19. Doug McDermott, Creighton

One look at the furor over J.J. Redick at the 2013 trading deadline makes it clear how much the NBA values a great pure shooter. Doug McDermott, Division I’s second-leading scorer last season, is nothing if not a great pure shooter.

The 6’8” McDermott will have an awful time defending quicker NBA small forwards, and (like Redick) is unlikely to approach his college stardom as a pro.

Even so, anyone who can shoot .490 from three-point range for a season (and .464 for his three-year career) is going to have scouts hanging on his every jumper.

18. Julius Randle, Kentucky

On the small side for a power forward at 6’9”, Julius Randle will have to work extra hard to impress the pro scouts. Fortunately for him, hard work is one of Randle’s specialties.

The Kentucky freshman plays with tremendous energy, especially when it comes to battling for rebounds.

His biggest asset, though, is a polished low-post game that will make him an unstoppable scorer in college and a very dangerous one when he gets to the NBA.

17. Mitch McGary, Michigan

Even at the NBA level, few big men play with the intensity and hustle of Mitch McGary. Now the Wolverine star needs to show he can keep that kind of energy level up through an entire season.

McGary’s breakout NCAA tournament performance obscured the fact that he’d been coming off the bench most of the year.

If he can even approach his postseason averages of 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds a night, his NBA-ready 6’10”, 250-pound frame will make him a lock for a first-round selection.

16. A.J. Hammons, Purdue

The mere fact that A.J. Hammons stands 7’0” and 280 pounds is enough to open the eyes of plenty of NBA talent evaluators. The fact that he held up against Big Ten competition as a true freshman is an even better sign for the Boilermaker’s pro prospects.

On a Purdue team woefully short of star power, Hammons averaged 10.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

His production already puts him at a level comparable to likely 2013 lottery picks Alex Len and Steven Adams, and now he’s got another year to show how high his ceiling can be.

15. Semaj Christon, Xavier

As the NBA becomes more and more of a point guard’s league, finding the next hidden gem at the position is a golden opportunity for scouts.

One great candidate for that role is Xavier’s Semaj Christon, who turned in an outstanding freshman season for a 17-14 team.

Christon averaged 15.2 points and 4.6 assists per game in his first collegiate campaign while also chipping in on defense with 1.5 steals a night.

He’s got the length (6’3”) and quickness to compete with NBA stars, so if he steps up his leadership ability as a sophomore, he’s got a good chance at a lottery pick next June.

14. Alex Kirk, New Mexico

Another one for the file of “every seven-footer who can play is an NBA prospect,” Alex Kirk has a chance to be much more than a big body.

The 7’0”, 250-pound rising junior matured rapidly over the course of his first season as a starter, leaving himself right on the cusp of stardom heading into 2013-14.

Kirk led the Lobos with 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game (not to mention scoring 12.1 points a night) as they brought home the Mountain West Conference title. Another conference crown and another high NCAA tournament seed are well within reach.

If Kirk (with senior PG Kendall Williams setting him up) can lead a deep postseason run, he’ll put one more exclamation point on what’s shaping up as a big-time NBA resume.

13. Shabazz Napier, UConn

Point guards, more than any other position, need confidence to succeed in the NBA. Shabazz Napier has a swagger that can’t be taught, not to mention the skills to back it up.

Like so many recent first-round picks, Napier is a hybrid point guard who’s at his best as a scorer (17.1 points per game, .398 three-point shooting) but can also make a nifty pass or two (4.6 assists a night).

The rising senior doesn’t have great size for the pros at 6’1”, 171 lbs, but he makes up for it with tremendously quick feet, plus the quick hands to grab 2.0 steals per contest.

12. Chris Walker, Florida

Standout Florida recruit Chris Walker doesn’t have to look too far back in his own school’s pantheon to find a great role model.

Chicago Bulls All-Star Joakim Noah (just an inch taller than the 6’10”, 225-lb Walker) helped bring a pair of national titles to Gainesville with a skill set not too far from Walker’s own.

Like Noah, Walker is a center who runs the floor like a deer, blocks tons of shots on defense and is still a work in progress offensively.

Walker isn’t as strong as Noah (yet), but he’s an even better leaper, and even the scouts aren’t immune to being impressed by highlight-reel dunks.

11. Spencer Dinwiddie, Colorado

Spencer Dinwiddie is not a point guard, and as long as he and the similarly out-of-position Askia Booker are splitting those duties in Boulder, neither will look as good as he really is.

Rising junior Dinwiddie, though, has still shown plenty for NBA scouts to keep an eye on.

The 6’6”, 200-pound shooting guard uses his length to great effect on defense, where he’s one of the toughest perimeter stoppers in the Pac-12 (including 1.3 steals against a paltry 2.0 fouls per game).

He led the Buffaloes with 15.3 points a night, and if he can do that while shooting more like he did as a freshman (.438 from deep, against just .338 last season), he’s in for a big-time payday as a pro.

10. Isaiah Austin, Baylor

Isaiah Austin is well aware of how few players his size (7’1”, 220 lbs) can handle the ball on the perimeter. As a result, he tends to drift out to the three-point line at every opportunity, even when he might be more dangerous in the paint.

In spite of his split offensive personality, Austin still managed to pile up 13 points per game to go with his team-leading 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a night.

He needs to shed his tendency to disappear for stretches of games, but his combination of size and agility give him a great shot at a lottery pick regardless of how well he produces for next year’s Bears.

9. Kaleb Tarczewski, Arizona

At 7’0”, 255 lbs, Kaleb Tarczewski will pretty much be a lock for the lottery on potential, regardless of his performance. If his freshman year is anything to go by, though, his performance is going to be awfully impressive, too.

The Wildcats center averaged 6.6 points and 6.1 boards a night even while playing just 22 minutes per game in a deep Arizona frontcourt.

With a year of experience and a genuine point guard (Duquesne transfer T.J. McConnell) to feed him, he could double his scoring and rebounding numbers next season.

8. Andrew Harrison, Kentucky

Andrew Harrison is already the consensus pick for the top PG in the freshman class. By the time the year is out, he’ll be right up with the best in the country at that position, because there’s nothing in a point guard’s game that Harrison doesn’t do well.

The 6’5” youngster is an outstanding passer, a dangerous shot (a skill honed with some help from twin brother Aaron, his backcourt mate), and a tough rebounder and defender.

On the loaded Wildcats, he’ll also get a chance to show how well he can lead a title contender, which should really open some eyes in the NBA.

7. James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina

James Michael McAdoo was expected to dominate last season by virtue of his tremendous athletic ability, his name (he’s a distant relative of Hall-of-Famer Bob) and his uniform (he was and still is the best player on the Tar Heels roster).

When he was merely very good rather than transcendent, it came off as a disappointment—one that he’s back in Chapel Hill to rectify.

The 6’9” McAdoo is a face-up power forward with a silky jump shot, as well as a dangerous finisher in transition.

He already averaged 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore (both team highs). With a stronger frontcourt around him he should challenge for the ACC scoring title this time around.

6. Glenn Robinson III, Michigan

Few elite prospects will require quite as much imagination from NBA scouts as Glenn Robinson III, who’s all but certain to spend a second straight year playing out of position at power forward.

The 6’6” Robinson has all the physical tools to be a star at small forward at the next level, but he’s not going to have many opportunities to show off his perimeter game.

Robinson’s long arms and great vertical leap helped him grab 5.4 rebounds a game in spite of his disadvantages in size and low-post experience.

He also scored 11 points per contest—a figure that should skyrocket with Tim Hardaway Jr. gone—despite shooting a pedestrian .324 from three-point range (the one obvious hole in his game where the pros are concerned).

5. Adreian Payne, Michigan State

From an athletic standpoint, Adreian Payne has already established his NBA bona fides. The 6’10”, 240-pound power forward has the agility, strength and leaping ability to shine at the next level.

As a senior, though, he needs to show the ability to put a team on his shoulders as an offensive weapon.

He’s proven himself as a rebounder (7.6 boards a night) and defender (1.3 blocks per game), and with a (likely) big jump in his 10.5 points-per-game scoring average, he'll be the draft's most impressive power forward prospect.

4. Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky

One of the bright spots in last year’s disappointing showing by Kentucky was the play of Willie Cauley-Stein.

Although he was comparatively unsung as the fourth-best member of his own UK recruiting class, he played his way into a starting job at PF even before Nerlens Noel went down and acquitted himself admirably.

Cauley-Stein has astounding speed and agility at 7’0” and 244 pounds.

He certainly could have jumped to the pros after averaging 8.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a night as a freshman, and he’ll be even more dangerous next year with a more complete team around him.

3. Jabari Parker, Duke

If there’s an NBA team that doesn’t want a young, multi-talented 6’8” forward with lockdown defensive ability, it’s probably because they already have one.

Jabari Parker is a near-ideal prospect on paper, and next year he’ll get a chance to show just how well his skill set translates to the college court.

Parker’s rebounding ability from the perimeter will be a particular boon to undersized Duke, though his skills as a scorer and playmaker won’t hurt, either.

Even if he doesn’t put up jaw-dropping point totals as a freshman, expect him to come off the board in the first three picks of next spring’s draft.

2. Andrew Wiggins, Kansas

The college game has been flooded with sons of NBA greats lately—Shawn Kemp Jr., Glenn Robinson III—but none have come with as much fanfare as the son of journeyman forward Mitchell Wiggins.

Andrew Wiggins, the top-rated recruit in the 2013 class, is a 6’7” small forward who looks like the kind of star that teams can be built around.

The first team that will try is Bill Self’s Jayhawks, who will presumably have just a one-year rental of Wiggins’ prolific scoring to carry their offense.

The freshman-to-be is also an adept rebounder and defender, and it wouldn’t be any surprise to see his name called first in next June’s draft.

1. Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

Marcus Smart has already done more than enough to get noticed by NBA scouts in one season of college ball.

Instead of leaving for the draft and becoming a top-five pick in 2013, the superstar point guard is back at Oklahoma State and gunning for No. 1 overall.

As a freshman, Smart did virtually everything you can ask a point guard to do, averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.0 steals (second-best in the nation) per game. He’s got the size (6’4”, 225 lbs) and quickness to be an NBA All-Star.

Pretty much the only thing he can improve in his encore performance is his lack of a three-point shot (.290 last season), a skill that even the similarly versatile Derrick Rose didn’t develop until he’d been in the NBA for a couple of seasons.